New Delhi, March 13: Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has expressed his dissatisfaction with MS Dhoni’s batting position in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pujara believes that having Dhoni bat at number 8 or 9 is counterproductive. He stated that the more balls Dhoni faces, the better it will be for the Chennai Super Kings. The team will kick off its IPL 2026 campaign against the Rajasthan Royals on March 30.
In an interview with JioHotstar, Pujara emphasized Dhoni’s unique ability to change the course of a match single-handedly. He remarked, “I don’t see any point in Dhoni batting at 8 or 9, as he can turn any match around. No other CSK player can do what he does. Currently, he is only facing 5 to 10 balls. Imagine if he plays 25 to 30 balls, what he could achieve.”
Fans have been unhappy with Dhoni’s recent batting order, as he has been playing lower down the lineup in the past few seasons. Many former players have also expressed surprise at this decision. In IPL 2025, Dhoni’s performance was below par, scoring just 196 runs at a strike rate of 135 over 14 matches. His position in the batting order has prevented him from scoring a half-century in the last two seasons.
However, Dhoni had a strong showing in IPL 2024, scoring 161 runs at a strike rate of 220 over 14 matches. The Chennai Super Kings struggled under Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy in IPL 2025, winning only 4 out of 14 matches. For IPL 2026, Sanju Samson will join Chennai after being traded for Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja.
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